Playground Maintenance & Repairs

Our durable playgrounds are made with quality products that handle high wear and tear, with a ten year and beyond life expectancy.

A playground developed with low maintenance in mind will give a far greater life expectancy of products. see Low Maintenance.

The common areas for maintenance in a playground are:

Softfall:

Loose and movable: eg: Sand / Mulch: Should be raked after use to ensure the areas that need softfall material have the required depth. Some areas with possible after hours contaminants such as glass or other, need to be raked before use to ensure the safety of people using the area.The materials that require fluffing and or topping up to hold its softfall properties, should be turned over every 6 to 12 months depending on the material.

Fixed/covered:

Artificial Grass: Should be raked or blown once a week or more depending on the amount of litter collecting on the surface.

Most artificial grasses rely on sand to support the pile so that wear happens from the top of the pile and not from the side, for this reason, some grasses need topping up if the sand level has lowered. eg. where rain, drops from shade structures.

Artificial grass joins that have lost bonding can be repaired to extend the life of the grass. A common problem of dampness on artificial grass, is moss growth or black spot which can be removed with a professional clean.

Rubber: Normally requires very little maintenance however over a period of time can show signs of loosing its original form. Rubber surfaces come in two main types black shread and granuel. Both can be oxide coloured or pre coloured, which looks great initially. It is known to loose most of its colour and go back to black over time, depending on abrasives like sand that can wear the coloured surface. The most colour fast rubber material, is known as EPDM granual because the colour pigment goes through it. This can hold its main colour in most cases but may fade from UV light. A high pressure cleaner can sometimes take off the milky surface to bring its colour back to life.

Rubber can shrink in some cases and is known to split on joins. Depending on how well its holding in place will make a difference to the method of repair.

NB : It is most important that the sub base for artificial grass and rubber is prepared corrrectly. When prepared and laid correctly, the longevity of both surfaces is increased. If it is not, then the surface product may be compromised as time goes on.

Low Maintenance Playgrounds

Low maintenance is imperative for busy staff. We define borders and edges, control excess water and loose materials, cover sandpits and mulch gardens. The materials available today allow for a good range of low maintenance options.

Natural grass is great if it adds to your playground environment, although if you have to replacing it every year, in shady or busy areas where it just won’t grow.

Then the new natural looking ARTIFICIAL GRASS is the answer, it will win every time for low maintenance, this grass has a long pile and looks like freshly mown lawn all the time, no bugs, sprays or fertilisers and it looks great and never needs mowing.

Rubber SurfacesRubber surfaces are low maintenance and are easily cleaned.

GardensA low maintenance garden needs good soil, plants appropriate for the area and a boarder to contain the mulch material.

Mulch MaterialMulch should be laid around 100mm thick. Some mulch materials break down quickly, so for low maintenance choose materials that takes a long time to break down e.g. Pine bark or similar, stones and rubber.

Automatic Watering systems save on watering time in a playground and reduce water usage.